5 tips to conquer stress

As autumn begins to arrive and summer's long, warm days become a distant memory stress can rear its ugly head. Which is why we've teamed up with life coach Jacqueline Hurst for her top tips on how to get a handle on more stressful moments.

1. Sometimes its good to take a step back and ask yourself, 'Is this going to make any difference in ten years' time?' 90% of the time, the answer is no. Take a step away to get perspective and think about it, as once you accept that most of your worry isn't life or death, it suddenly won't seem like such a big deal after all.

2. Balance your expectations. So many of us have sky-high expectations of ourselves, which are way higher than we would set it for anyone else. Whatever it is you are stressed about ask yourself how you would talk to a friend in this situation. Would you be yelling at her that she will never get it sorted out or would you treat her with kindness? Be nicer to yourself and the stress will start to slip away.

3. Be aware of yourself. Noticing that you are 'stressed' can actually be good for you, because it's a signal that something is in need of change.

4. Small changes can yield big results. First of all, our thoughts rule how we feel. None of us are taught how to 'think' or 'deal' with emotions at school, though it is so important to understand that your thoughts create how you feel. When you are stressed try to write down how you are feeling to get it out of your head quickly.

5. Start to look at how your thinking. In other words are you choosing thoughts that feel good or feel stressful? Let's say you are stressed about a presentation you need to do for work. If you are thinking 'I can't do this' you won't be feeling great. Instead you need to start thinking about it differently and postively, to convince yourself you can do it.

Jacqueline Hurst is a master life coach and clinical hypnotherapist. She has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Network, The Sunday Times, Harpers Baazar and The Daily Telegraph. Jacqueline is also the founder of the Life Class, an online personal course for self development.

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